Who Am Snarl?
by MadnessJones
Summary: G1: Snarl realizes he doesn't know how he fits in with the Dinobots or with the other Autobots, so he runs away from the Ark to find his destiny. No pairings.
1. Identity Crisis

_Author's Notes: When I started writing TF fanfictions I was sure I'd never write a Dinobot-focused fanfic. The Dinobots are good characters, but for whatever reason it took me a long time to get into their headspace. Now I have an interesting idea for a story though, and I think I'm finally ready. This first chapter was a lot of fun to write, though purposefully getting grammar wrong is kind of strange to me. I'm usually such a grammar monitor ^_^'_

 _Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this Dinobot fanfic, and if you do want to see this story continue please favorite, follow, and/or review :)_

* * *

Chapter 1

Identity Crisis

The Autobot ship, the Ark, was a ship of contrasts. It was state of the art technology, but it was over 4 million years old. It was made of forged steel and alien alloys, yet was fused to the volcanic rock that had grown around it on planet earth. The interior of the Ark was mostly bright and was colored in a warm orange, all except for one place; the Dinobots' lair.

The Dinobots lived in a room that was carved out of Mount St. Hilary; the fossils of their organic ancestors still buried beyond the charred rock walls. They mostly kept away from the other Autobots. The Dinobots were strong, fearsome, and inexperienced in the ways of the world. Their closest loyalties were not with the Autobot cause or even the other Autobots, but rather the brotherly bond they shared with each other.

The Dinobots were wrestling with each other in their robot modes just like they had seen on TV. Slag was tackling Swoop, and Snarl was locked in playful combat with Sludge. Slag breathed fire on Swoop, and Swoop squawked in irritation.

"No fair! Fire against the rules!" Swoop complained.

"You Slag play by rules!" Grimlock ordered as he surveyed their fighting, "Me Grimlock supposed to get you in fighting shape, so you fight fair!"

Grimlock was a stern but fair leader to his Dino-brothers. He was the strongest and the most power hungry, but what really made the other Dinobots respect him was the simple fact that he would kill or die for any one of them and they knew it.

"Me Slag want to fight with everything Slag got! Swoop is just robot chicken!" Slag argued.

"Me Sludge like Robot Chicken," Sludge commented dimly.

Slag was the most aggressive Dinobot, even more so than Grimlock, and that made him a valuable asset to the team. Swoop wasn't strong, but he made up for it with his sensitivity, his ability to negotiate, and his thirst for knowledge. Sludge, while kind and loyal, was also the most moronic of the five. Sludge was easily fooled and took a long time to make decisions if left to his own devices.

Since Sludge wasn't fighting anymore but rather watching the others argue, Snarl had to quit attacking his brother. He transformed into his stegosaurus mode and curled up in the corner to watch the argument along with Sludge.

"You Slag apologize to him Swoop!" Grimlock ordered sternly.

"Me Slag never apologize!" Slag argued, "Me Slag am strongest! Me Slag win fight fair and square!"

"Oh? So you Slag am _strongest_?" Grimlock asked challengingly, "Me Grimlock doubt that very much."

Suddenly out of nowhere Grimlock tackled Slag, and Slag used his claws to slash at Grimlock, but to no avail. Grimlock transformed into T-Rex mode, and Slag transformed into triceratops mode. They rammed into each other and struggled for dominance, but it didn't take long for Grimlock to topple the haughty Dinobot with his brute strength and then hold him in place with his sharp teeth placed on Slag's head shield. Slag yielded, and Grimlock stared down at him with smug satisfaction.

"Me Slag...am sorry to Swoop," Slag reluctantly apologized, "Me no use fire no more. Rematch?"

"Me Swoop can't fight right now," Swoop declined, "Me Swoop have to be in medbay in 20 minutes. Him Ratchet teaching me Swoop anomaly."

"What am anomaly?" Grimlock asked curiously.

"It am the study of body parts, I think," Swoop shrugged with his wings, "Me Swoop not know yet, but me will know soon. Me have to get ready. See you fellas."

With those words Swoop gathered up some toy medical supplies from under his berth and stored them in his subspace. Ratchet didn't trust him with real tools yet, so Swoop had to use plastic models Wheeljack made for him. Wheeljack had wanted to make the models look realistic, but Swoop wanted pretty plastic colors like the ones in the commercials that aired between cartoons, so he ended up with very fake looking doctor toys.

Snarl lazily watched as Swoop left. He was happy for his brother's ambitions. Maybe with Swoop being the smartest, Slag doing the most fighting, and Grimlock being the best leader the other Autobots would finally respect them. Snarl never admitted this out loud, but he really did want to be a part of the rest of the team. The Dinobots deserved more than just being reserve fighters. Maybe someday Optimus Prime would accept them as equals.

"Hey Snarl," Sludge poked one of Snarl's back plates as he called out to him, "Me Sludge need to know where basketball court is."

"It outside," Snarl replied matter-of-factly; wondering how Sludge could forget the location of something so close by, "Why you Sludge need to know?"

"Me Sludge invited to join Track's team," Sludge announced with barely restrained pride, "They say me Sludge am tall and have thick helm, so me perfect for being basketball player. Me am going to win for team!"

"That great, Sludge," Snarl replied patiently without getting up from his spot in the corner, "You am using talents wisely. Autobots respect winners."

"What you Snarl going to do today?" Sludge asked with a simple smile on his face plate.

"Me Snarl not know. Maybe recharge some more," Snarl shrugged his front feet from where they were folded under his chin, "You Sludge have great time."

"Me will!" Sludge declared cheerfully, "Me Sludge bring back the ball. Bye, Snarl."

"Bye," Snarl called out as Sludge exited the lair.

Snarl looked at Grimlock and Slag as they continued to spar. They trained hard and they played hard, and sometimes Snarl had trouble telling which was which. He was pleased with the progress his brothers were making. Each one was using their gifts to improve their lives, and it seemed like things could really change for the misunderstood creatures.

That was when Snarl suddenly came to a realization he'd never had before. Every Dinobot had something special about them that made them who they were. Grimlock had a strategic processor and the strongest body. It made him perfectly qualified to lead the Dinobots. Slag was tough and fiery; the best at kicking Decepticon can. Swoop was intellectual and had a strong sense of empathy. Sludge was dense both physically and mentally, and was also a friendly mech that others didn't mind hanging out with.

But what was Snarl?

Snarl thought about this, but he couldn't come up with an answer. He couldn't lead others like Grimlock. He couldn't scare others the way Slag could. He couldn't heal others or talk to people the way Swoop could. He couldn't even retreat into his own ignorance like Sludge. Snarl and Swoop were built together, and now Snarl began to wonder if Wheeljack spent more time building Swoop than him.

Who was he? What was Snarl's purpose in life? He couldn't figure it out, so he decided to ask the one mech he knew would know the answer.

"Hey, Grimlock!" Snarl hollered, and Grimlock and Slag stopped attacking each other while in the most ridiculous positions imaginable, "Grimlock, what am Snarl's purpose in life?"

Grimlock spat Slag's pede out of his mouth and stood up to fully face the young stegosaurus.

"You Snarl's purpose am to beat up Decepticons," Grimlock replied as if it should be obvious.

"Me Snarl know that, but what make me Snarl special?" Snarl rephrased the question, "You all am special in some way, but how am me Snarl different from other Dinobots?"

"Hm...Me Grimlock not know," Grimlock shrugged after a moment to think about it.

Snarl hung his helm dejectedly. This was not the answer he wanted, and it was confirming his suspicions that he was just an extra Dinobot in case Wheeljack lost one.

"Hey, me Slag know what am special about you Snarl!" Slag exclaimed excitedly, "You Snarl have tail spikes. Tail spikes am special."

"But you Slag have helm spikes," Snarl pointed out, "Spikes am not special. Even him human have name Spike. Spikes am everywhere."

"Oh," Slag deflated after realizing he didn't have the answer, "This am hard question. Maybe ask him Wheeljack."

"Okay. Me go ask him Wheeljack," Snarl replied dutifully as he slowly turned to go.

Grimlock and Slag watched Snarl leave for a moment, and then went straight back to pretending to try to kill each other. Snarl looked back at the fighting with a sad expression before the sliding door closed behind him. Snarl transformed into his robot mode and walked down the bright hallways that practically hurt his optics after spending days in his dark little corner of the world. He wanted so badly to go back to his blissful ignorance, and he hoped that Wheeljack could placate his curiosity and cure his identity crisis.

* * *

Wheeljack was wiping the black soot off his armor after another experiment had blown up in his face. The lab looked like a war zone, and he sighed as he realized it would be hours of cleanup again. He loved working on projects, but he hated the cleanup that always came afterward.

The door opened, and Wheeljack saw that it was Snarl coming in to see him. He was happy his creation was there, but was surprised to see him alone. Snarl almost never travelled without another Dinobot by his side, and he rarely spoke to anyone that wasn't a Dinobot; not even Wheeljack.

"Hey Snarl! What can I do for you?" Wheeljack asked chipperly as he set aside his cleaning rag and gave the Dinobot his full attention.

"Wheeljack, what make me Snarl special?" Snarl asked without preamble.

"Special? Well, Dinobots have artificial sparks which are made using a complex array of metals and electricity combined with the partial CNA of a donor, in this case myself. I've considered making Dinobots featuring the CNA of other crew members, but Ratchet thinks that's not a good idea. I guess I agree. After all, you're all we need, so why bother making more?"

"Uh..." Snarl knew that wasn't what he wanted to hear, but he didn't know how to begin rephrasing his question. He knew Dinobots in general were special, but he wanted to know what made him different from other Dinobots.

"Hey Snarl, could I ask a favor?" Wheeljack asked nicely, "I need some help cleaning up the lab. Could you give me a hand?"

"Uh...okay," Snarl nodded compliantly; having trouble keeping up with how fast the other Autobot talked.

Together they picked up the garbage, put away Wheeljack's salvageable supplies, and wiped away the dirt and the grit. Snarl was starting to remember why he didn't normally come in here by himself. He didn't mind cleaning, but Wheeljack spoke so quickly that it was hard to keep up. Snarl, like most of the Dinobots, had trouble with understanding quick speech and complicated words. Wheeljack was a genius and had a very cluttered mind. That made him talk quickly and constantly shift focus from one subject to another.

Thinking about this brought Snarl back to why he was there in the first place. One of the things that made Wheeljack special was his inventive processor and willingness to try anything no matter how insane it sounded. Snarl however still didn't know what made him special, and the burning desire for a place in his society was starting to drive him to distraction.

"Wheeljack?" Snarl spoke up as Wheeljack wiped down his servos with another cleaning cloth, "What am Snarl's purpose?"

"You were designed to stop the Decepticons from destroying us and those we care about," Wheeljack replied placidly; oblivious to his creation's inner turmoil, "You and Swoop were also designed as reserves in case something happened to Grimlock, Slag and Sludge. Hm, maybe more Dinobots _would_ be a good thing. Nah, I'd never get Prime to agree to that. So Snarl, would you like some energon goodies before you go? I have a whole drawer full of them."

"No thank you," Snarl replied politely, "Me Snarl need to leave now. Hope next invention doesn't explode."

"Thank you, Snarl," Wheeljack replied warmly, "Goodbye! Drop by anytime."

Snarl left the lab feeling just as empty as when he left. He knew his creator meant well, but the answers he was receiving to his question hurt him more than helped. He was invented as a weapon with no regard to his own happiness or personality. They didn't care if he was fast or strong or smart. They only cared that he was there in case the good Dinobots couldn't help them. Snarl was just an afterthought.

No, Snarl would not accept that. There had to be _something_ about him that was worth being built for. Something about him was special, he just knew it. The problem was no one else seemed to know what that something was. He had to figure it out, and it seemed he was on his own.

When Snarl went back into the lair he saw that Grimlock and Slag had left. He was alone in the dark cave with his thoughts, and at that moment that was not a place where he wanted to be. He wished he could be anywhere else in that moment. Maybe someplace with sun and humans...

Wait, maybe the question couldn't be answered by a _who_. Maybe it had to be answered by a _where_. Maybe he would find his answers somewhere besides the Ark. Maybe this place was holding him back, and his true potential laid beyond the lair and the Ark and the basketball court. Maybe his destiny was out there somewhere.

Making up his processor, Snarl found a stylus and a data pad from Swoop's things and began to scribble a letter to his brothers. He was going on a journey to find himself and he didn't want them to follow him or worry. He would find his special skills out there in the big green world.


	2. Missing

_Author's Notes: And yet another neglected fic gets a new chapter! Yay! That being said, I'm sorry this took so long. I think it's because the story is still in an early stage with little to no notes for where it is going. That being said, I'm enjoying writing the dialogue for the Dinobots now that I have the hang of it. Thank you to everyone who has either waited this long for a new chapter or is viewing the fic for the first time. Either way, I appreciate it :)_

* * *

Chapter 2

Missing

Swoop returned from his medical class beaming with pride. He had learned all about the anatomy of an average minibot, and even got to test his skills when Brawn broke his servo after driving his fist through a wall. To be fair, Ratchet only allowed this because Brawn had made him mad, but Swoop didn't need to know his lesson was being used as a punishment on the small frontliner.

When Swoop got home he could see Sludge was throwing a basketball up in the air and catching it while Grimlock and Slag were watching cartoons. It looked like one of those shows about that blue hedgehog, but there were so many blue hedgehog cartoon spin-offs that Swoop couldn't keep up with which one it was.

"Hey guys, me Swoop got to work on real patient!" Swoop announced joyously when he walked through the door into their lair.

"Shh! We miss good part because you Swoop yell!" Slag scolded his little brother, "Aw, now me Slag can't remember egg doctor man's evil plan!"

"Shh!" Grimlock shushed Slag for his yelling at Swoop for his yelling.

Slag sulked but didn't shout back at his leader. Swoop realized he couldn't get them excited about his victory, so he went over to Sludge to tell him about his big day working with Ratchet.

"Hey Sludge, me Swoop got to work on real patient," Swoop whispered quietly to avoid the wrath of his TV junkie brothers, "Him Ratchet let me Swoop work on Brawn. Me did good job, too."

"That cool," Sludge replied as he nodded lazily, "Uh, me Sludge play basketball."

"Your team win?" Swoop asked.

"Uh...me Sludge not remember," Sludge replied after a long moment to think about it, "Where Snarl? Me Sludge promise to give him the ball."

"Don't know," Swoop shrugged, "Wish him Snarl here though. Me want to tell him about me Swoop's day. Him Snarl always listen."

Swoop loved all of his brothers equally, but he felt the most comfortable talking to Snarl. He didn't know if it was because Snarl was quiet or if it was because Snarl was his twin brother, but it was just easier to talk to him whether it was good news or if Swoop was just feeling rough.

After a few minutes the cartoon went off and Grimlock got off the Dinobot-sized couch to get some energon. Slag stayed where he was because the next cartoon was about a girl that could talk to plants...or animals...Slag couldn't remember, but he still wanted to watch it. After Grimlock got his fuel he looked down and noticed something under the spout of their glorified water cooler.

"Hm, Swoop, you leave data pad on energon dispenser," Grimlock called out to his winged brother.

"No, me Swoop keep important stuff in garbage bag," Swoop informed him, "That not mine."

"Yes it is," Grimlock contended, "Only you Swoop have data pads."

Swoop didn't want to walk over there and investigate, but he knew Grimlock wouldn't let something go once it had his attention so Swoop reluctantly went over there to see what was going on.

"Hm...Yeah, actually, that do belong to me Swoop," Swoop noted after examining the data pad, "Why it out?"

Grimlock looked down at the data pad and noticed that there was something jotted down on it, and at the bottom was Snarl's name.

"It from Snarl," Grimlock announced.

"Really? What it say?" Swoop asked anxiously, not liking the feeling he was getting from this situation at all.

"Me don't know. It just scribbles," Grimlock said as he handed the data pad to Swoop.

Swoop looked at it to make sure Grimlock wasn't misinterpreting the language, but sure enough it _was_ actually just scribbles. Then Swoop remembered that Snarl didn't actually know how to read or write and could only spell his own name.

"Me Sludge know what it mean," Sludge suddenly announced, which surprised the others because they didn't know he was listening in on the conversation, "Me Sludge and him Snarl watch movie together last night. Little boy write note and tape it to fridge."

"What that note say?" Grimlock demanded to know.

"Little boy run away from home," Sludge replied ominously, "Snarl run away from home too. Why else write note?"

It seemed too crazy an explanation from too simple a train of logic. Then again, Snarl wouldn't tell anyone if he actually _was_ going to run away. He was very private like that. Swoop suspected that Sludge was right.

"What we gonna _do_!?" Swoop wailed as the implications hit his processor, "Him Snarl am missing! He am a wall!"

"A what?" Grimlock asked in confusion.

"AWOL, idiot," Slag interjected, "Great, now him Snarl run away and me Slag have to turn off cartoons and help find him..."

Slag grumbled as he grabbed a cube of energon and then turned to his other three brothers. Swoop and Sludge looked worried and Slag looked annoyed, but Grimlock knew he had a keep a clear head if they were going to solve this problem.

"Okay, so him Snarl am AWOL," Grimlock summarized the situation, "If the Autobots know, then Snarl might get in trouble. It up to us Dinobots to make sure no one know him Snarl missing, then when everyone else in recharge we go out and find him. Now, where would him Snarl go if he not here?"

"A fight club?" Slag guessed.

"A circus?" Sludge chimed in.

"No, no. We need think like him Snarl," Swoop dismissed their ideas, "Him not like to make trouble and watch circus humans."

"Okay, then what him Snarl like?" Sludge asked innocently.

"Um, him Snarl like...he like...oh no, me Swoop not know what him Snarl like!" Swoop exclaimed in a panic, "How we find him if we not know him!?"

"We know him!" Grimlock snapped defensively, "Him Snarl have spikes. Spikes get stuck in things, so him Snarl would not like places that are sticky."

"I guess that rule out daycare," Slag quipped.

"This no time for jokes!" Grimlock reprimanded him, "Okay, the opposite of sticky is smooth. Now, what am smooth?"

"Oil," Slag replied.

"Right! Oil!" Grimlock exclaimed as if this were a huge eureka moment, "Oil am smooth, and places with oil am...repair garages. So obviously Snarl went to repair bay to get oil. I bet him Sparkplug and him Ratchet have already found him."

"Yeah, that make sense," Sludge nodded agreeably.

"So what we waiting for?" Slag asked gamely, "Let's charge the medbay and get him Snarl to come back here and watch TV with us!"

" _Yeah_!" All the Dinobots cheered at once, satisfied with their plan.

* * *

The Dinobots left their lair in robot mode and walked through the halls of the Ark. They were all nervous because they didn't want anyone to find out about Snarl being missing. They didn't know what got into their brother, but if they didn't find him Ratchet, Prowl, and Optimus were going to tear him a new exhaust port. There weren't many Autobots the Dinobots feared, but those three definitely qualified. Well, maybe not Prowl, but upsetting Prowl upset Ratchet and Optimus, so that was enough reason to stay on his good side.

The Dinobots weren't that far from the repair bay when they came across the first other Transformers they had seen since they started their trek; Grapple and Hoist. Grimlock shushed the others before they could even get close to the two architects, and Grapple and Hoist looked a bit nervous when they finally approached the Dinobots (as any reasonable person should be).

"Oh, um, hello Grimlock, everyone," Hoist greeted them as politely as he could manage; hoping to get through the gang of beast-formers safely.

"Him Snarl taking a nap!" Slag shouted way too loudly, and the others looked at him crossly.

"Uh, him Slag mean him Snarl still on board ship. Heh heh," Swoop added shakily.

"Yeah, uh...Out of our way!" Grimlock shouted as he muscled past the stunned builders; his brothers scurrying close behind him.

Grapple and Hoist looked back at them for a second before continuing to walk the way they were going in the first place.

"Did the Dinobots seem odd to you?" Hoist asked Grapple.

"They're _always_ odd," Grapple replied; unconcerned, "Now, about that generator I'm working on with Wheeljack..."

* * *

Nowhere. Snarl just seemed nowhere. The Dinobots had checked the repair bay, the labs, the rec room, the basketball court, the control room, and even the brig. Nothing! Now they would have to actually leave the ship in order to find him, but they were explicitly forbidden from leaving the ship. They weren't even allowed to leave the lair after bedtime!

"We never gonna find him Snarl..." Swoop sniffed pitifully that night as he sat on his berth in robot mode, "We can't go anywhere."

"We have to!" Slag urged him, "It was plan! Grimlock say we find Snarl when everyone else in recharge, right Grimlock?"

"Me Grimlock know what me say!" Grimlock snapped in frustration, "But me Grimlock not able to unlock door! If me ram door then other Autobots wake up and hear us, and then they see him Snarl am not with us. We am trapped."

"Snarl am doomed..." Swoop keened in sorrow, "Me Swoop lost twin. Me Swoop never be the same again..."

"Don't be so dramatic," Slag replied curtly, "We find him Snarl, and you Swoop go back to normal. We am Dinobots. We will find a way, right Grimlock?"

"Yeah, we find a way," Grimlock replied with less conviction than earlier, "We have to find way. Snarl am too young and stupid to be out alone at night."

Swoop hiccuped and he continued to sob, and Sludge patted his back as he cried. Apparently that was exactly the wrong thing to say to Swoop.

"Me Swoop wonder what him Snarl doing now," Swoop sighed morosely, "What if him cold and scared? What if him hungry? What if him on the news for stepping on humans and he get in high-speed car chase on freeway?"

"That never happen," Slag reassured him, "Him Snarl can't drive."

"This am serious!" Swoop snapped angrily at Slag, "Him Snarl am out alone in a world even _we_ barely understand! Him could be captured by Megatron or beamed back to Cybertron to work in Shockwave's mines again! Him could even be hit by bus!"

"Wouldn't that just hurt the bus?" Grimlock asked in an attempt to lighten the mood, "Listen, me Grimlock will keep working on door. You and others go to recharge now. Me Grimlock will get us through this. Him Snarl will be back before we know it. Now, recharge. That an order."

Swoop breathed irregularly for a couple minutes trying to stop himself from crying. He smiled up at Grimlock nonetheless however since he knew his leader would do everything he could for their stegosaurus brother. With no other plans to try for the moment, the three remaining Dinobots crawled into their berths to try to sleep while Grimlock looked for weak spots in the cracks of the door. For Grimlock it was going to be a long night, though he suspected no one would actually get any recharge that night.

* * *

Snarl was walking along a hill with green grass and pink flowers while in his Dino-mode. He had walked through the forests that surrounded the mountain and now he was out in the open without any humans or Cybertronians around for miles. It was peaceful, but it was also kind of lonely.

That night Snarl had slept under the cover of large trees. Snarl liked the trees because they actually felt like they were scaled to the size of a real environment. So much of earth was too small for him. The humans were too small, dogs and cats were too small, building doors were too small, etc. Trees, however, were big even to him, which made them the perfect size. Out here it felt like Snarl actually belonged on this planet.

The stegosaurus briefly wondered how his brothers were doing. He knew he probably should have waited to tell them goodbye, but he knew they would never let him leave, and this was a journey he felt he had to make. Snarl felt he would never know who he really was until he stopped having other people around to compare himself to. Now he was alone, and now he was sure he would find out something amazing about his abilities and personality.

Snarl also liked the fact that he didn't have to talk to anyone out here in the wild green yonder. He wasn't a very talkative mech, and he actually had trouble with articulation when he was with smarter mechs like Wheeljack and Perceptor. Now _that_ was one mech Snarl didn't understand. Perceptor was the wimpiest mech among them, and yet he was always asked to go places with the others. Yet 'Bots like himself, the other Dinobots, and even Omega Supreme were never asked for anything unless there was no other choice. It was as if Optimus Prime was avoiding deploying those that could do real damage to his enemies even though that was the whole point of fighting in the first place.

Then again, when Snarl thought about it, he didn't really talk to Omega Supreme either. No one did. He didn't really know the guardian robot very well, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with Omega Supreme, so why was the rocket-former forced to sit alone outside while everyone else hung out and had fun?

Snarl wondered if Omega Supreme ever had doubts about who he was sometimes. Sure, he was built with a purpose as a guardian robot for Cybertron, but after the war that position became meaningless. Snarl didn't know much about Cybertron, and he didn't know much about guardian robots. Being born on earth meant Snarl wasn't really in touch with his Cybertronian heritage.

Snarl realized then that he knew where he wanted to go. He wanted to go find and talk to Omega Supreme.


	3. What Makes a Home?

_Author's Notes: A Transformers update? Le gasp! I know I haven't kept up with my TF writing, especially this poor neglected story, so I'm posting a new chapter to see if I can jumpstart this story again. I know this chapter is short, but that's mostly because every character here uses succinct dialogue. The Dinobots and Omega Supreme are mechs of few words, and them talking to each other leads to some interesting character interactions. Well, I thought so anyway. Hope you guys enjoy this latest chapter of "Who Am Snarl?" :)_

* * *

Chapter 3

What Makes a Home

Snarl walked up a large hill in his Dino-mode. His beast mode allowed him to use his nose to find things easily. He could smell the rocket fuel and high grade energon that made up the scent of Omega Supreme, so didn't take long to track the large shuttle-former. Snarl could see Omega Supreme before he even made it to the top of the incline. Omega Supreme was sitting quietly with his optics offline and his legs out in front of him.

"Hey, you Omega Supreme," Snarl called out to the immobile Autobot, "Me no know if you remember me. Me am Snarl. Me am Dinobot."

Omega Supreme onlined one optic and looked down at the mechanical lizard with an impassive expression.

"Presence: unexpected. Explanation: required," Omega Supreme ordered Snarl.

"Me Snarl run away from Ark. Me want to know more about purpose in life," Snarl explained.

"Location of Ark: close. Journey: futile," Omega Supreme pointed out.

"Me Snarl want to know more about you Omega Supreme," Snarl told him, "You know all about Cybertron. Me Snarl want to know more about Cybertron."

"Cybertron: desolate," Omega Supreme stated bitterly, "Reason: Decepticons."

"Me know that," Snarl replied as he sat down next to Omega Supreme, "Me want to know about Cybertron before it at war. What your favorite part about Cybertron, Omega Supreme?"

"Crystal City," Omega Supreme replied; his voice subdued with a hint of sorrow.

"Crystal City?" Snarl repeated, "What so special about it?"

"Crystal City: home," Omega Supreme replied wistfully, "Guardian robots: built to protect. My function: protect Crystal City. City: beautiful. Materials used: quartz, duranium, steel alloy, diamond, and glass."

"Wow, you Omega Supreme know a lot about building stuff," Snarl commented; impressed.

"No," Omega Supreme growled, his mood suddenly hostile, "Knowledge: not my own. Source: Constructicons."

"What?!" Snarl exclaimed in shock, "But them Constructicons am evil! They Decepticons!"

"Yes," Omega Supreme nodded as his optics narrowed in subdued fury, "Constructicons: evil. Objective: hunt down Constructicons. Punishment: death."

"Wow, you sure am angry at them Constructicons," Snarl observed, "So why you no fight them now?"

"Optimus Prime: leader. Guardian robots: obey the Prime. Objective: comrades' survival," Omega Supreme said as he attempted to calm himself from his previous rage.

"Oh," Was all Snarl could think to say.

Snarl didn't exactly feel comfortable around Omega Supreme yet due to not knowing him well, but he wasn't put off by his anger either. Grimlock and Slag got angry all the time, so Snarl was used to that sort of behavior. One thing Snarl found he liked about Omega however was how slowly he spoke and how he didn't use a lot of words. That made it easy for Snarl's processor to keep up with the conversation.

"Snarl: foolish," Omega suddenly said to the Dinobot, "Advice: go home. Nighttime: soon. Hunger: unavoidable."

"Me Snarl am not finished with quest," Snarl replied defiantly, "Me Snarl need to find out what make me different from other Dinobots. Hey, do you Omega Supreme know what make me Snarl different?"

"All Dinobots: unknown element," Omega Supreme replied apologetically, "Snarl: unknown. Advice: ask Wheeljack."

"Me Snarl tried that already!" Snarl yelled in frustration, "Him Wheeljack not know either, and him invent me Snarl! Me Snarl am just extra Dinobot, not special for anything..."

Omega Supreme could tell the young Autobot was depressed, yet he didn't know what to do. Did Snarl even qualify as a sparkling, or a Cybertronian for that matter? Was he an animal or a mech? The Dinobots were the first and only of their kind, which made them a difficult element to work with. Omega Supreme wasn't very adept at social situations anyway, and adding a Dinobot to the mix made it nearly impossible for him to know how to handle things.

"Snarl: needs energon," Omega Supreme noted, "Omega Supreme: share energon."

"Well...me Snarl am kind of hungry," Snarl admitted sheepishly.

Omega Supreme then pulled a cube out of his subspace, which looked so minuscule in his massive hand. He then set it down for the Dinobot, and Snarl smiled up at him before chomping down on the glowing purple energy source. Snarl didn't know where his quest would take him, but he liked the first stop. Omega Supreme was a lot nicer than he would have expected, and he seemed like someone wise enough to learn from yet easy enough to understand.

* * *

The Dinobots had fallen asleep without breaking down the door as originally planned. Grimlock was the first to online the next day, and he couldn't help but facepalm when he realized he went into recharge before they came up with a plan. Even though they were allowed outside their lair now that it was daytime, Grimlock still transformed into Dino-mode and rammed the door off its tracks just because he needed to blow off some steam. The loud **crash** awoke the other Dinobots.

"Hey! What big idea?" Slag snapped before realizing it was Grimlock, "Oh, never mind. You find him Snarl yet?"

"No! We Dinobots went into recharge!" Grimlock howled in frustration, "We Dinobots need to focus today, or else him Snarl might be lost forever!"

" _No_!" Swoop shrieked, "Him Snarl too young to be lost forever! We Dinobots gotta find him!"

"Me Sludge wanna go home," Sludge murmured from his spot on the floor where he's fallen asleep.

"You Sludge _am_ home, stupid!" Slag snapped irritably.

"No. It not home without everyone in it," Sludge replied miserably, "This lair not complete. We need brother back."

"Me Grimlock know that!" Grimlock barked, feeling aggravated at his own helplessness, "We Dinobots need to search for him Snarl, and we need to keep it secret from Autobots that would tell him Optimus Prime and him Ratchet that we lost our brother. So, me Grimlock say we split up and search."

"Split up? But what if we Dinobots lose each other too?" Swoop cried out worriedly.

"Won't happen. We Dinobots all meet back here at lair when it get dark," Grimlock said as if it were the greatest most out-of-the-box plan ever, "Now, me Grimlock search the desert, you Slag search outside of Ark, you Swoop search the city, and you Sludge keep searching inside the Ark in case him Snarl come back."

"Uh...where me Sludge search again?"

"The Ark," Grimlock repeated slowly, "In case him Snarl come back."

"Oh. Okay," Sludge nodded dully, "Me Sludge search Ark."

"Good. Dinobots, roll out!" Grimlock roared, and the others took off at their leader's battle cry.

* * *

Snarl had sat there eating energon for almost an hour. Omega Supreme had heard the Dinobots were savage ravenous beasts, so he was surprised by how slowly and deliberately Snarl ate. In fact, Omega Supreme was surprised by Snarl in general. By Dinobot standards he seemed quiet, reflective, and was nothing like how Omega Supreme had heard them spoken about in passing when other Autobots rode inside him and talked about the newly created Transformers.

"Omega Supreme?" Snarl called out, forcing the rocket-former out of his reverie, "Me Snarl want to ask you Omega Supreme something."

"Omega Supreme: listening."

"Is this your home?" Snarl asked innocently.

"Question: not understood. Snarl: repeat question."

"Well, this am just an open field, yet you Omega Supreme always here. Is this your home?"

"No," Omega Supreme replied bitterly, "This planet: not home. Nowhere is home."

"How that possible?" Snarl asked, "Everyone have home somewhere."

"No. They don't," Omega Supreme sternly explained to the young Dinobot, "Omega Supreme's home: Cybertron. Cybertron: ruined. Earth: army base. Not home."

"Can an open field be a home?" Snarl asked curiously.

"Yes," Omega Supreme replied, his tone softening for the quizzical Dinobot, "Home: not structure. Home: place of refuge. Omega Supreme: has no home."

"Place of refuge? What that mean?" Snarl asked, puzzled.

"Refuge: mean security. Home is place where you feel most comfortable. Home is place of family, of safety, and of familiarity. Home: is refuge."

"So...Snarl's home am Dinobot lair," Snarl reasoned, "So...rest of Ark not home."

"Explain," Omega Supreme ordered.

"Well, me Snarl not feel welcome in rest of Ark," Snarl admitted, "Me Snarl feel like guest. Like if me touch anything it break, if me say anything others yell, and if me run instead of walk me step on somebody. Me Snarl like being Autobot, but me only feel comfortable in lair with brothers. There me Snarl can be me Snarl."

"Snarl: return to home," Omega Supreme insisted, "Snarl: gone too long."

"No! Me Snarl not ready yet!" Snarl protested, "Me Snarl always compared to brothers. Me Snarl want to figure things out alone. Want to find true purpose."

Omega Supreme made a humming noise, pondering the situation. This young 'Bot needed guidance, and it seemed he wasn't getting it. Wheeljack was a good Autobot and inventor, but he was too far past his youth to understand how seriously young mechs took themselves and their existential problems. Ratchet of course was usually dismissive of anything other than a serious physical wound. Grimlock wouldn't be able to help since he was a peer and therefore too naive to understand how time would eventually heal this emotional rift. Optimus of course was too busy to be bothered with something so abstract. That left only one Autobot, as much as Omega Supreme didn't want to admit it.

"Snarl: should not go alone," Omega Supreme finally said, "Omega Supreme: accompany Snarl."

"Really? You'd help me Snarl find self?" Snarl replied excitedly, "Wow, thank you Omega Supreme."

"Where Snarl's direction?" Omega Supreme asked.

"Hm...Me Snarl should probably fight Decepticons," Snarl mused, "That am what me Snarl was created to do. Maybe that give me Snarl answers."

"Constructicons: good target," Omega Supreme suggested with a feral grin.

Snarl didn't see any problem with that, so he agreed. He and Omega Supreme would go on a Construction hunting journey to find himself. This logic probably wouldn't have flown with anyone else, but Snarl and Omega Supreme were not ordinary Cybertronians. This seemed to be the beginning of a beautiful, if odd, friendship.


End file.
